16 Before Outlander: My Ancestor at Battle of Killiecrankie

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 

Week 16  April 14, 2025 

 Prompt: The Oldest Story

Maternal 9th Great-Grandfather: James Alexander MacDougall

Conquer or Die
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish Clan,
historically based in and around Argyll.

When I began exploring my Scottish roots, I didn’t expect to find myself drawn into a centuries-old battlefield in the Highlands—or to feel such a surprising connection to a fictional television show. 

According to family lore, my 9th great-grandfather, James Alexander MacDougall, died in July 27, 1689, at the Battle of Killiecrankie, one of the first major conflicts of the Jacobite Risings. 

There’s no documentation to confirm the story. No military record, no gravestone, no clear lineage of service. And yet, this is one of the oldest stories in my tree—a whispered connection to a time when loyalties were tangled, and families like mine stood at the crossroads of Scottish and British history.

The Family Legend

What I have is fragmentary. James was supposedly born in 1623 in Inverness-shire and married Blanche Casey in Argyll. They had a daughter, Mary Steel MacDougall, born in 1664 in Argyll, who later married into the McCorkle line under the name McCorquodale. That part of the tree is more grounded, with names that appear in census and church records years later.

But James? His name and the story of his death at Killiecrankie have drifted down through time, likely copied from other trees, repeated often enough that I paused to wonder: Could it be true?

Killiecrankie and the Jacobite Cause

The Battle of Killiecrankie took place during the first Jacobite Rising—a conflict fueled by the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when King James VII of Scotland (and II of England) was deposed in favor of William of Orange. The Jacobites wanted the Catholic Stuart king restored to the throne. The government, supported by the Protestant majority, stood in opposition.

On July 27, 1689, at a narrow Highland pass, the Jacobites won a surprise victory—but at great cost. Their commander, John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, was fatally wounded, and the rising soon collapsed without his leadership.

The battle pitted Highlanders against Lowlanders, Catholics against Protestants, and sometimes Scots against Scots. The Jacobites are often romanticized, especially in modern portrayals like Outlander, but the truth was messy. Some Highland clans supported the Stuarts; others backed the government—or tried to stay out of it entirely.

Where Did the MacDougalls Stand?

The MacDougall clan, historically rivals of the powerful Campbells, had long roots in Argyll. During the Jacobite Risings, their loyalties weren’t clear-cut. Some sources suggest the MacDougalls remained loyal to the government, possibly due to political alliances with the Campbells, who were strong government supporters.

But clans were not monolithic. Individual MacDougalls could easily have chosen the Jacobite cause—out of personal conviction, religious loyalty, or regional alliances.

If James Alexander MacDougall fought at Killiecrankie, it’s possible he went against the prevailing loyalty of his clan. It may even explain why his story survives only in whispers.

Outlander and the Power of Story

Outlander television series on STARS based on a series of books by Diana Gabaldon.

Watching Outlander—particularly the early episodes about the 1745 rising—has given me a new lens through which to see this piece of family lore. Although Outlander focuses on Bonnie Prince Charlie and events more than fifty years after Killiecrankie, the themes are the same: faith, loyalty, rebellion, and the cost of war.

Since I’m a huge fan of Outlander—watching it again now for at least the third time—it helps breathe life into the story of my Scottish ancestor’s involvement in this period of history. Seeing the landscapes, the clans, and the complex loyalties portrayed on screen brings a vivid texture to the dry facts and missing records. It’s not a substitute for evidence, but it’s a reminder of the humanity behind the history.

Dougal McKenzie, an Outlander character

In the show, Dougal MacKenzie raises money and men for the Jacobite cause. While fictional, he represents a very real kind of man—one who believed in the Stuart right to the throne and was willing to risk everything for it.

Perhaps my ancestor was one of those men.

Searching for the Truth

There are no known records of James Alexander MacDougall’s service, no land grants, no letters home. I’ve learned not to take other people’s trees at face value, but I’ve also learned to listen when a story keeps resurfacing.

The Battle of Killiecrankie was a real, historic event. My ancestor may have stood there. He may have fought. He may have died. Or he may have lived long afterward and simply vanished from view in the blur of history.

I may never know for certain. But even so, I’ve decided to hold space for the possibility. In genealogy, truth and legend often travel side by side.

Closing Reflection: A Story Worth Remembering

This might not be the oldest verifiable story in my family tree, but it’s certainly one of the oldest told. And like so many old stories, it’s full of silences, suppositions, and shadows.

Whether James Alexander MacDougall was a Jacobite rebel or a government loyalist, whether he died in battle or faded into obscurity, his name anchors me to a time and place where history was being shaped—not just by kings and generals, but by ordinary men swept up in extraordinary moments.

In that way, his story—true or not—is one worth remembering.